PETALING JAYA: Professional doubles shuttler Nur Izzuddin Rumsani’s goal is simple – to win the title.
And that means, Izzuddin and his partner Goh Sze Fei will have to bring their A-game to upstage top seeds Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in an all-Malaysian semi-finals at the home Masters at the Unifi Arena in Bukit Jalil today.
It will be tough to decide on the winners as both pairs have not met in two years, with their last encounter coming in the semi-finals of the Asian Championships, where Sze Fei-Izzuddin emerged victorious.
Overall though, Aaron-Wooi Yik hold the better head-to-head record going into the match, having won six of their previous eight meetings.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin have made no secret of their ambition to win the title on home ground and add another crown to their collection this year after winning the Indonesian Masters in January.
“That’s definitely the target (to win the title),” said Izzuddin.
“Whoever the opponents are, it will be a very tough match for us.
“But we are just focusing on ourselves and making sure we prepare well, eat well and get enough rest.”
Yesterday, both pairs won their quarter-final matches in contrasting fashion.
The world No. 7 Sze Fei-Izzuddin were stretched but stood solid to pull off a 21-17, 16-21, 21-16 win against Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi 21-17, 16-21, 21-16.
It was an easier workout for Aaron-Wooi Yik as they outplayed China’s Hu Keyuan-Lin Xiangyi 21-15, 21-16, repeating their win over the same pair at the Asian Championships in Ningbo in April.
Wooi Yik is expecting a tough match as well.
“I think our level and gameplay are quite similar. The difference is probably who can stay calmer when playing at the highest level.
“In terms of skills, I think both pairs are good.
“So it will depend on the situation on court and how we manage it,” said Wooi Yik.
Added Aaron: “But what’s more important is that Malaysia will have one men’s doubles pair in the final.”
“We also hope Arif-Roy King can win as well, so at least we can have another all-Malaysian final like last year,” said Aaron.
Arif-Roy King booked their place in the last four after beating the United States pair Chen Zhi Yi-Presley Smith 21-15, 21-19 and will take on Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard.
Aaron-Wooi Yik finished runners-up last year after losing to Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun in the final.
